The Truth About Using Apple Cider Vinegar for Weight Loss
It goes without saying that apple cider vinegar, or ACV as most people love to call it, is healthy. Since ancient times, it has been used to treat allergies, acid reflux, and colds. However, is using apple cider vinegar to lose weight a genuine weight loss trick?
There are plenty of studies on ACV and losing weight out there to give us an idea if it’s a good addition to your weight-loss plan.
It’s important to remember that, regardless of how awesome a supplement is, a healthy diet and proper exercise are an important part of obtaining your goal.
Apple
Cider Vinegar has a wealth of
health-promoting enzymes. This makes it a fantastic
supplement for overall health, but is ingesting burning
vinegar worth it?
We investigated some of the more well-known rumors to
see what the science had to say.
This post may contain affiliate links, which helps keep this content free. Please read our disclosure for more info.
Apple Cider Vinegar Reduces Belly Fat
We experience a little extra bounce around our middle for a variety of reasons. Hormonal fluctuations, specific types of drugs, and medical conditions including thyroid disease or leaky gut, age, or genetics.
Sometimes excess belly fat happens because we’ve been sneaking a few too many sweet treats on our work break or doubling up on the pasta.
Whatever might be causing it, sometimes it’s hard to get rid of, even when we’re sticking to our diet plan.
A Japanese research team did a 12-week study to see if drinking ACV had any impact on weight loss. They found that participants who took 30 milliliters a day (less than half an ounce) had a decrease in weight, body mass index, and belly fat. (1)
They think the acetic acid in it, which also gives it a
distinct flavor, is what gives it the capacity to battle
weight in the middle.
It does help a little bit, even though they only dropped
an average of two to four pounds and didn't alter their
food or lifestyle in any other way. For most of us, a
two-pound drop is acceptable any day.
It Makes You Feel Fuller
When it comes to weight gain, sometimes portion size is a culprit. If you eat out a lot, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
A study was done to see if the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar could make participants feel more satiated after a meal. Acetic acid impacts glucose levels and insulin, so the researchers gave every participant a piece of bread, along with different doses of acetic acid.
The ones who had the highest dose felt the fullest, so the researchers concluded that ACV can be used as an appetite suppressant. (2)
There’s a catch, though; the only way to get the benefits is to take it on an empty stomach, which can make your belly nauseous. You can use it to make yourself feel fuller, but it’s probably not the best option.
Apple Cider Vinegar is Good for Gut Health
You must maintain a balance between good and bad
bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract in order to keep
your gut healthy and lose weight. As a prebiotic,
apple cider vinegar supports the health of
the good bacteria in the stomach (3)
It is common for people to confuse probiotics with
prebiotics. Your body cannot digest prebiotics, whereas
probiotic foods and supplements include healthy gut
bacteria.
These carbohydrates are favored by beneficial gut flora,
which support their growth and well-being.
The amounts of good and bad bacteria in your belly have a lot to do with your metabolism and ability to gain or lose weight. They control how many calories you absorb, cause food cravings, and produce certain types of fatty acids that boost the immune system.
Apple Cider Vinegar will help your system digest food and absorb nutrients, which helps with weight loss, but it can’t do it alone. It’s suggested that having ACV with fermented foods or a probiotic supplement increases its weight-busting properties.
It Can Help Get Rid of Candida Overgrowth
Are you addicted to pasta, white bread, or sweets? It's
likely that your body has an excessive amount of
candida, or yeast.
These desires, along with many other health problems
like poor gut health and
digestive problems, can be brought on by an excess of
yeast. These kinds of carbohydrates are what the yeast
eats, which lowers blood sugar and increases your desire
for them.
It’s a vicious cycle and one that can cause serious weight gain.
Candida overgrowth might
interfere with your adrenal glands, causing your body to
store dietary fats in an emergency response. The body
will start accumulating fat permanently rather than
using it as fuel if this continues for an extended
period of time.
Since ACV has anti-fungal properties, it will assist you
in eliminating any excess yeast in your digestive system
that may be causing you to store fat. Test results
indicate that it may be used as a therapeutic
intervention for overgrowth of candida. (4)
ACV Can Balance Blood Sugar
There are multiple studies that show how effective apple cider vinegar is controlling blood sugar spikes, especially for people who are prediabetic or have type 2 diabetes. (5)
It’s not the vinegar alone, but the acetic acid that’s doing it. It interferes with the enzymes that are responsible for breaking down starches, like the ones you find in bread and pasta. If you had a bowl of fruit and ACV, it wouldn’t have any impact on your blood sugar levels.
Blood sugar spike brought on by carbohydrates make you feel hungry and encourage overindulgence in food! Because acetic acid prevents the body from digesting starch, it doesn't enter the bloodstream and add to your daily caloric intake.However, exercise caution! It's important to keep in mind that apple cider vinegar can only alleviate so much of the effects of an overindulgence in starchy foods, so think twice before buying an abundance of ACV and stopping at the doughnut shop on your way home.
The recommended maximum amount you can take safely is 2 tablespoons a day, and it can only break down a certain amount of starches before it stops working. Moderation is your best bet.
How to Use ACV for Weight-Loss
Apple cider vinegar, along with a healthy diet and exercise, can help with weight loss, but it’s not the best tasting supplement in the world. It has a sour, acidic flavor that many people don’t like.
It also burns when you drink it, almost like a shot of tequila!
The easiest and most delicious way to get its health benefits is to use it as a salad dressing. Mix it with some olive oil and herbs.
It can also add some nice flavor as a marinade for pork or chicken.
If you prefer your cider straight, combine 1 to 2 tablespoons with 8 ounces of water and drink. It is critical to dilute it with water because it can erode tooth enamel and irritate the soft tissues of the mouth and throat.A smart way around this is to eat it rather than drink it.
Make sure to get raw apple cider with the “mother,” or you won’t get its awesome benefits.
Here Are Some Things to Consider Before Using Apple Cider Vinegar
ACV is one of those foods that’s highly acidic outside the stomach. Many people in studies who reported that it was a good hunger suppressant did so because it gave them an upset tummy.
As previously said, it is also harmful to your teeth's enamel, owing to its high acidity level. Mixing it with an alkaline oil helps balance the pH, making consuming it the simplest way to fight its negative effects.
Apple cider vinegar is known to help with acid reflux, but if you use too much or don’t drink enough water with it, it can have the opposite effect and actually cause it! It can burn the mouth, throat, and esophagus if you overindulge or aren’t using it properly.
It’s important to know that apple cider vinegar can lower potassium levels in your bloodstream. There has only been one reported case of this, but the person using it was drinking 8 ounces a day, in a classic example of too much of a good thing. (6)
If you are taking any medications, such as diabetes medicine or blood thinners, consult with your doctor beforehand. ACV affects insulin levels. If you are pregnant, see your doctor before using it because it is not pasteurized.
Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar is one of the best brands on the market, so make sure to look out for that brand at your local grocery store or on Amazon!
Looking for a REAL Plan to Lose Weight Fast?
If you want to lose weight quickly, you should follow a serious plan. Adding apple cider vinegar to your diet is beneficial to your health, but it won't have a significant impact on your waistline. That requires significant dietary adjustments.
Our 40-Day Fat Loss Challenge is designed to help women lose 30-40 pounds in just 40 days, and you can repeat it in multiple rounds if you have more weight to lose!
Many of our clients have lost anywhere from 50-100 or more pounds with multiple rounds of the Challenge.
It’s REAL food – no crazy shakes or supplements – and REAL results! You’ll also get access to a private support group where thousands of women are going through the Challenge together!
Click here to get started with YOUR 40-Day Fat Loss Challenge journey today!
If you enjoyed this article on apple cider vinegar for weight loss or have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below!
I love apple cider vinegar so it’s great to hear it has all these health benefits!
Such an amazing blog. Everything you described was very helpful. I enjoyed your blog.so much and i got useful information. Thanks for sharing!